No anthem played as Israeli wins gold at UAE judo tournament
Tal Flicker wears International Judo Federation uniform, after the Arab state refuses to allow Israelis to compete under their national flag or anthem
Two Israelis won medals at a judo tournament in Abu Dhabi, but tournament organisers refused to play the customary national anthem of the medalists.
Tal Flicker stood on the podium to receive his gold medal in the men’s under-145 pound category on Thursday, the first day of the Grand Slam tournament in the United Arab Emirates, a country that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.
He wore the uniform of the International Judo Federation and received his medal under an IJF flag while the anthem of the federation was played. But video clips showed Flicker singing what appears to be the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah.”
WATCH-DISGRACEFUL.
ISRAELI Tal Flicker presented with his gold medal at #JudoAbuDhabi2017 without Israeli anthem or flag. Nice to see Tal singing something and I’m guessing it’s the #Hatikvah@Ostrov_A pic.twitter.com/RzwGdn0Bh8— SussexFriendsIsrael (@SussexFriends) October 26, 2017
The same day, Gili Cohen won a bronze medal in the women’s under-114 pounds category and received the same treatment.
Earlier this month, Israeli team members were informed that they would not be permitted to compete under any Israeli symbols, claiming it was for security reasons. Two years ago, eight Israelis competed under similar conditions during the same event in Abu Dhabi.
On Wednesday, the International Judo Federation ordered the UAE to treat Israeli athletes equally during the tournament.
Prior to leaving for Abu Dhabi, Flicker posted a photo of himself on Facebook wearing an Israeli uniform.
“We’ll do anything to get to Abu Dhabi and end up on the podium,” he wrote. “Everyone in the world knows where we are from and which country we represent. I am the most proud to be Israeli.”
אין דבר יותר מתוק מרגע הניצחון, ההרגשה הזאת שעשית את זה בשביל עצמך,הנבחרת המשפחה וכמובן בשביל המדינה .אני בטוח ששמעתם…
Posted by Tal Flicker-טל פליקר on Monday, 23 October 2017
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
